• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Make the Chocolate Cupcakes

• Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla and beat for a couple of minutes until combined.
• Add hot water and mix together. The batter will be fairly liquid.
• Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Make the Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

• Wash the strawberries and then put them back in the fridge to chill
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt ⅔ of the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments.
• Once melted, put the remaining third of the chocolate in and stir vigorously until it has all melted. For perfect shiny chocolate, check my guide on tempering chocolate.
• Holding the stalk, dip the strawberries into the chocolate and gently shake to remove excess chocolate, then lay them down gently onto the parchment paper to set.
• If the chocolate has been tempered properly, it should set fairly quickly. Once set, melt down the white chocolate in 30-second increments, then use a piping bag or teaspoon to make thin lines across the chocolate dipped strawberries. Leave to set.

Make the Strawberry Italian Meringue Buttercream

• Make a strawberry reduction by putting the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over a medium heat and bringing to the boil.
• Once the strawberries start to break down, use a potato masher to break them down completely.
• Boil until the bubbles are thick and spitting a little, then remove from the heat and pass the reduction through a sieve to remove any seeds. Allow to cool while you make the buttercream.
• Make Italian Meringue Buttercream according to the linked recipe.
• Once ready, add the cooled strawberry reduction to the buttercream and whip until smooth again.
• For an extra strawberry boost, add a tablespoon of freeze-dried strawberry powder. But if you don't have any this is still delicious without!
• Pipe frosting onto cupcakes immediately and top with a chocolate dipped strawberry - voila!